ACHA HAI!

No worries everyone, my growing fluency in Hindi (and other languages, but mostly Hindi) is keeping me out of trouble. So, Acha Hai! (it’s going well!). This trip has been an eye opening experience, and it will turn even more interesting when we get to go to the peripheral villages in the next few days. But for now, I figured I’d summarize some my learnings in my own travel tips.

Slums surrounding a corporate hospital. 

Tip #1. Something for everyone – India is a land of contrast, though cliché, I have no better way to describe it. India is richly diverse culturally and socio-economically. Religious depictions of Hindu, Buddhist, and other religious icons often face westernized Ballywood movie banners. More strikingly, it’s not unusual to find abject poverty in the slums right across the street from one of the most well renowned corporate hospitals, where politicians and Ballywood stars come for medical treatment. India’s health care system is just as diverse. While government medical institutions cater to the poorest of the poor at minimal or no cost, large corporate hospitals cater to the insured middle upper class and the rich. Even more interesting is the growing number of small (and not so small), private clinics (known as “nursing homes”), where the lower middle class comes mostly for outpatient visits, but also for some inpatient procedures. The dynamic of nursing homes is quite unique because top physicians, who also work in corporate hospitals, own the majority of nursing homes. So even though the facilities are not as nice, the patient still receives care from highly reputable physicians at a fraction of the cost. To put it simply, in India’s free-market healthcare system, there is something for everyone. We’ll see how this holds up outside the city.  

Elevator ride inside the Tata Memorial Hospital. 

Tip #2. Take the stairs! – (If you enjoy saunas, skip to the 5^th sentence, otherwise continue) Unless you truly enjoy thirty minutes inside of a hot and sweaty elevator, I’d suggest the stairs. On the flipside, if you do find yourself in that situation make sure to get on the elevator last. If nothing else, you will become the first person to set foot on every floor of the Tata Memorial Hospital in less than 30 minutes (I’d like to see anyone try to break my record). On a serious note, Tata is one of the busiest and most respected cancer treatment centers in India. Why is it SO crowded? For one, patients from all over India, and neighboring countries, come to Tata to get top-notch cancer treatment. The second reason is that a large number of people do not seek treatment until after the disease is very advanced, and others simply do not have access to early screening or early treatment options. As a result, these very ill patients have no other option but to seek treatment at large tertiary/quaternary centers. Lastly, Indian families are very close knit. So it’s not unusual to see a large number of family members accompanying a single patient.

The Dhobi Ghat. 

Tip #3. Things work themselves out (somehow) – Stephen mentioned this earlier, but the Dobhi Ghat in Mumbai is quite a sight. Apparently, dirty laundry is collected early in the morning from all over the city and comes to this central location, where it is washed and dried in the open. What’s amazing is that it works very well, and somehow everything returns to its owner clean and dry by the end of the day. Talk about customer service! I think this example really speaks to the integrity and efficiency of Indian people. Blood banks are a unique example of integrity, efficiency, and, most importantly, solidarity in India’s health care system. When a patient is scheduled for surgery, the clinicians typically estimate how many pints of blood the patient will need. The family/friends/neighbors are then asked to donate an equal number of pints, which is typically an easy task because patients never come alone (see Tip#2). The result is that the blood banks are ALWAYS, or almost always, well stocked.

Chhole Bhatura (Scrumptious!)

Tip #4. Don’t Overeat – While it’s undeniable that you SHOULD avoid tap water, raw vegetables, non-peelable fruits, and street food, I’ve learned that the MAJOR danger is staying away from Indian cuisine! It’s absolutely delicious, so play it safe and don’t stuff your face. Bad things can happen! I’ll spare you the muddy details, so take my word for it.

Cow in the middle of the road.
Very touristy but I could not resist. 

(Life-Saving Extra) Tip #5. It’s a jungle out there – IF you are crossing the road, and think yourself lucky because there are no cars coming, fight the urge to cross the street and look the other way. Remember that people in India drive on the OTHER side of the road. If you miraculously get to the other side of the road in less than 5 minutes, you are a survivor. Traffic in India is simply unprecedented (and I have seen some pretty bad traffic in the US and in Colombia). Let me put it this way, if you are in a car in Mumbai, it would be very possible to reach out and snatch someone’s coke from the adjacent car. Also keep an eye out for trees in the middle of the road.

 (Worry-Saving Extra) Tip #6. Bring a chain! - IF you are prone to leaving stuff behind or constantly losing your phone (like moi), you may want to have a mechanism to keep you from losing your stuff. If nothing else, it will save you from the public bashing after admitting to having lost your phone more than once in 4 days. 

A land of contrast. 

Michelle makes her first appearance on our blog. Outside of J&J India